I have started a new story, but I have a bit of a writer's block. I'm going to see if I can work through my plot today, and if I can't I'm just going to try and plough through it. It's making me grumpy. *grumble grumble*
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
bet you didn't know...
It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I think they're fun.
Name five things laying around your computer.
A bottle of sugarless mint gum, a roll of tape, a bunch of books, an alarm clock, two pairs of scissors.
10 places you've lived, in order.
I'm assuming that whoever wrote this means chronological order.
Santa Maria de Guia, the Canary Islands, Spain
Madison, Wisconsin, the US of A
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA
Five different houses in Dalian, China
Two houses in Ningbo, China
...and that's it.
A romantic night would be...
Um...romantic? I've never thought about it. But I suppose it would matter who it was with than anything else. And whoever it's with should have a say in what we do.
Were you ever rushed to the hospital? What for?
Yes, I was. For second-degree burns caused by oil splashing all over my neck and face. I was unconscious for most of it, and what I do remember is just...red. Thankfully the only scarring I have is some tiny bumps under my right eye.
What's the worst that can happen?
I could live forever. (I'm sure there are worse things out there, I just can't think of them right now.)
Pelakîs updated
HERE is a map that I drew last night and this morning (while I was waiting for my school's website to let me log on to my courses) for my geeky worldbuilding project. I'm not putting the map into this post because it's too wide, and if I used a smaller size it would mess up the scale etc. I'm also working on a font, a botanical encyclopedia, more maps and a ton of other stuff which may or may not be up soon depending on how much time I have while I'm in Dalian. (Did I mention that I'm going to Dalian, the city in which I used to live, to stay with some friends and study for ten days?)
***
Actually, here is the beginning of the botanical encyclopedia. The zoological one will probably come quite a bit later.
I feel kind of bad saying 'Hey, guys, look at this thing I did!', but since the Pekakîs site doesn't really tell you when it updates as blatantly as this site, I'm going to post updates every now and then. I hope you don't mind.
in which I link to thingies that can be helpful when writing (part II)
You can read part one HERE.
A Way With Worlds: Lots of useful articles on almost anything imaginable.
Magical World Building: A good place to start if you have no idea what you want your world to be like.
How to Create Fantasy Worlds is quite helpful as well.
List of World Builder Projects: A unique resource with lots of great links to other resources. What more could one want?
World-Building Resources for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writers: Exactly what the title says.
The Metaverse: I can say nothing. I can only bow down before the greatness that is Virtual Verduria.
World Setting Ideas: Some stuff to get you thinking out of box when it comes to settings.
The Mythopoet's Manual: Absolutely fantastic.
Cruinne's World Building Checklist: Created for RPGs, but applicable to any constructed world.
The Worlds of Pelakîs
If you promise not to laugh at me for being the language geek that I am, you can go HERE to see my new project. I'm excited about it. I absolutely love the fact that I figured out how to put links on the top of each page, so the site is better organized than it would have been otherwise. The site is, obviously, a work in progress.
I would show you all some of my old stuff (while I'm opening myself wide up to ridicule), but unfortunately, along with my stash of blank notebooks, most of my old journals, artwork and projects also got ruined when the storage room was flooded. I guess people will have to make do with what I'm working on now.
in which I am a geek
Anyway, we all know that I'm a tremendous copycat (last paragraph), but I have finally come to the conclusion that Brynne is way smarter than I ever will be.
As far back as I can remember, I've had a thing for languages. It may have something to do with the fact that my parents teach English, my mother has a master's in linguistics, I speak three languages and have studied five, but then again it may not.
Anyway, I've been (quietly) looking for a way to organize (one of) my current projects, and Brynne's idea is perfect. So I'm going to cautiously think about starting a blog for my latest language/world/culture, which is still mainly a concept. Hopefully having it be publicly accessible will make me actually do something with it, even though I'm currently swamped in schoolwork.
I'll post the link in a future post, if the blog ever makes it way out of pre-production.
in which I link to thingies that can be helpful when writing (part I)
These are in my "Names & Generators & Prompts" bookmark folder. I love them, end probably couldn't live without most of them.
Imagination Prompt Generator: This site generates random prompts that are good for blogging, journaling, or just to spark your imagination.
NameVoyager: Visual representations of baby name trends starting in the 1880's.
Behind the Name: I absolutely love this site, especially the random name generator, which is by far the best one I've found.
What a Lovely Name: Another baby name site, organized in a very refreshing and intuitive way.
Yafnag: Yet Another Fantasy NAme Generator.
Seventh Sanctum: Any kind of generator your heart could desire.
The Swami's Generators: Generators you've never even thought of, but without which you won't be able to live once you know they exist.
Cult of Squid Name Generator: Yes, another one. I use them all.
The Always Amusing Euphemism Generator: Exactly what it sounds like, and perfect for figuring out what your main character's batty great-aunt says.
The Forge: A flash-based fantasy generator for names, places, creatures and spells.
Let's Put Your Character into a Sticky Situation: Generates bad things that can happy to your character. The modern alternative to 'if all else fails, burn something down'.
82 Writing Experiments by Bernadette Mayer: Perfect for breaking writer's block or inspiring poetry.
The Surrealist: Generators and playthings galore.
Language is a Virus: Links to everything and anything concerning writing, and plenty of generators.
911 Writer's Block: Dial 1 for settings, dial 2 for characters etc.
Serendipity: More generators, of every kind.
Note: The author is not held responsible for time wasted on these sites.
is 'schlump' even a word?
I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak yesterday, along with Prince of Time, so today I'm going to work on the previously mentioned stack of library books. I've always been an immensely balanced person. Ha. Ha. Hee. Ho. Hum.
I've been in a pretty bad shlump for the past month and a half, in which I couldn't get excited about any of my writing ideas, and none of the pieces seemed to come together. Hopefully my brain has gotten over its little funk.
Also, what the heck am I doing listening to a Christmas carol?
happy Christmas!
Right. So on Christmas Eve, I watched Evita, made accounts for a couple of fictional characters, and drank eggnog (minus the rum, of course). This morning, so far I've sat around in my pajamas, successfully not done schoolwork, and eaten an orange roll. There's no holiday like Christmas.
oops!
Apparently I'm supposed to write in first person. I just slipped up and wrote approximately 500 words in first person instead of third, and it felt so right. I can't imagine what I was doing before.
IHMAWTD
I hate myself and want to die... And possibly kill off all my characters too.
Welcome, Layli, to the second week of NaNoWriMo. If me and my characters all come out of this week intact, I get a chocolate bar, and they get a short break from the emotional havoc I've been wreaking in their lives.
I might not keep the second part of my promise. We'll see.
That made me feel a little better.
...
I am not Brynne. I am not Fast Like a Freak. I also have other things to do. Which is why I have only written 22389 words in the past week.
However, yesterday I read Beowulf in its entirety, write 4000 words, did my Chinese homework, did my English quiz, started Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov, forgot to blog, did half of my math problems for next week and did laundry.
November is a dreary month. And it's pouring rain again.
yay!
It's five minutes to four, and I have gotten everything that I want done today done!
Write at least 1667 words on new novel. Check.
Finish journalism assignment. Check.
Do laundry. Check.
Clean my room. Check.
Read a bit. Check.
I've even done a couple of non-essential things like add a pretty web badge to my blog proclaiming my participation in NaNoWriMo. And now that I've told people (gasp), I have to finish.
prompted by a response to the prompts
Just for fun, and because it's late and I have nothing to blog about (again), I'm going to respond to BRYNNE'S PROMPTS.
Prompt #1
My heart sings when...
The air smells fresh. When everything is clean. When I'm with someone amazing. When I can stay in my own little world for a while and straighten things out in my head. When I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep, and it's quiet enough for me to imagine that I'm somewhere else. When I manage not to lose my temper at someone, even though I really, really want to. When I can have an intelligent conversation with someone.
Prompt #2
Do you hear yourself when you are speaking and really listen to what you are saying?
No. I usually know what I'm going to say for the split second before I say it, and once the words start coming out of my mouth, I start thinking about what the other person might say and possible responses.
Prompt #3
You are ten years in the future. Write a letter to your today self.
Dear Almost-Fifteen-Year-Old Layli,
I can't tell you what happens in the next ten years of your life, because if I did, it would change your actions, thus creating a paradox in which it would have turned out as I said, had I not told you. But take chances. Stop caring what other people think, or at least pretend to. The people who judge you have no right, and you'll find out who doesn't judge you. Keep the people who accept you around.
Plus, sanity is overrated anyhow.
Almost-Twenty-Five-Year-Old Layli
Prompt #4
What was a good high school memory?
Sorry, I really don't have one.
Prompt #5
When I look up at the sky, I feel...
Sad. Why don't people care more about the fact that most of China's sky is blank and smoggy?
Prompt #6
Is true love real?
Yes... and no. Even true love won't come to anything if both parties believe that relationships are effortless.
Prompt #7
How did you meet your closest friend?
- We saw each other for a day when I was seven, and we were both too shy to say anything to each other. Then, when I was thirteen she lived right up the street from me, and we saw each other every day.
- Talked nerd when I was seven for a day, spent quite a while when I was thirteen talking nerd.
- She babysat me when I was two and she was nine.
Prompt #8
What are you currently fascinated with?
Books.
Psychology.
Linguistics.
Dystopias.
Writing.
Various forms of government.
Philosophy.
Etymology of names.
The differences between cynicism and pessimism.
Prompt #9a
If I could trade my adulthood in for a second childhood, I'd...
I probably wouldn't do it.
Prompt #9b
Did you go camping? Tell about your experiences.
I've been camping at Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin, but I had a bad case of jet-lag and really don't remember much about it.
Prompt #10
If tears could speak to you, what would they say?
After you've had your cry, why don't we go do something that will either go towards fixing the problem or distract you from it?
***
P.S. The reason I'm blogging this late at night is because I've just been out to dinner with some of my mom's coworkers and then grocery shopping. I will spare you all the details of my torture.
prompts
I don't have anything to blog about, which is why this post will consist of me answering writing prompts from THIS SITE. I'm interested to see what sort of things I'll end up writing about.
Prompt #1
Your 10 favourite scents or smells:
- vanilla
- coffee
- jasmine
- osmanthus fragrans
- fabric softener
- fresh bread
- old books
- coconut
- lilac
- lavender
Prompt #2
Define love.
Um.... Love is undefinable. Everybody should just acknowledge that and move on. When people 'define love', they are only talking about the ways love is manifested, or the way that they perceive love to be.
Prompt #3
10 things I learned at school that weren't part of the curriculum.
- The people who try to make your life difficult are scared
- There are always people who will try and pick a fight with you
- There are always people who will find a reason to dislike you
- China isn't really communist
- 'Thought and Morals' teachers are the most likely to be leaders of the communist party
- 'Thoughts and Morals' teachers are the most likely to give you strange looks when you mention religion
- Don't talk to yourself at school. EVER.
- Writing poetry in biology class is not advisable, unless it happens to be about dragons, in which case you can make a cheeky remark about studying the anatomy of other-worldly creatures
- Reading 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in math class is not permissible even if you have already done all the practice problems and finished the day's homework
- Correcting someone in authority, even respectfully, even when they are wrong and you are right, is frowned upon
Prompt #4
What do you do with all the things you write about?
I dream about them, talk to them, think about them, speculate about them, observe them, laugh at them, mourn over their dead bodies, giggle at the silly things they come up with, draw them, imagine life without them, imagine life with too many of them...
Prompt #5
What would you do if the sun didn't rise tomorrow?
Would it still be tomorrow, seeing as the earth would not have orbited around the sun another time? But I will answer the spirit of the question. If the sun didn't rise tomorrow, I would enjoy the chance to have candles lit all day. Melted wax is another one of my favourite smells, and candlelight changes the whole atmosphere of a room. It makes things have another side and more meanings.
I'm having fun doing this. Originally I was going to stop at five, but I'll do a few more.
Prompt #6
"It is all vanity and striving after the wind." Agree or disagree?
Agree, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't strive. Who knows what you might bump into along the way?
Prompt #7
When someone asks for your opinion, are you always honest? Why or why not?
I am generally honest. But you can only get the whole picture if you listen to my pointed silences. Why? Because there really is nothing to be gained from lying except lies.
Prompt #8
What one gift would you like for yourself?
Wisdom.
Prompt #9
What remains constant in your life?
Books and the characters in them. I have to confess that they always offer blissful escape.
Prompt #10
If you could be any person in the world, who would you be, and why?
I would be me, because I can't imagine being anyone else.
NaNoWriMo
I'm going to be doing NaNoWriMo this year, mainly just to have an excuse to throw my inner-editor out of the window and write frantically.
Now, I'm going to bed. I have no idea why I'm exhausted, but I am.
...
Yes, I finished the letter this morning and posted it. It's nice having it done.
I've only recently discovered Journler, which I love so far. It's so much neater than just having .txt doc, and much easier to manage.
Besides that, the furniture for my room that was supposed to arrive this afternoon is going to arrive tomorrow afternoon, which means that I'll actually be able to unpack. I'm sick to death of living out of suitcases and boxes.
And I'm really tired. My nice couch is calling me. Hopefully tomorrow night it'll be a bed.
Oh, and here's a short nonsense for you to laugh at while I sleep, since it's been a while since I posted poetry. Not all of it is this silly, I swear.
I’m a writer, you see
It’s what I do
Cause there’s something inside me
That starts to brew
The words start forming
And they start bursting out
Until I have to surrender
And write or shout
Like today, for instance
I’m on my ninth doc
With eternity afore me
And no will to stop
late
I did organize the links, and while I haven't posted on The Letter Game blog yet, I do have 1000 words towards a letter. But it's too late to finish it, and it's also a bit too late for a decent blog post. Sorry. I really did try. I swear that everything is taking ten times longer today than it should.
get it done. TONIGHT!
It's 5:08 PM, and today I still want to organize the links in the sidebar and write a letter for The Letter Game. I'm hoping that writing it down and telling the world will help me get it done in a timely fashion. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and maybe after I finish I'll write a real blog post.
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